What to wear
There are two types of attire that may be observed in the USA corporate setting, the business casual and the business professional. Business casuals are usually worn inside the office on a normal day, and one is already employed in a company. This attire would usually include button up shirts for men over jeans or khaki pants, while women could also wear button up shirts over jeans as well. However, if you are about to go to an important meeting or would be doing a presentation for a client, business professional attire is your best option. This attire involves wearing suits for both male and females over button up shirts, paired with formal slacks or skirts for women.

What to bring
Business cards are a common part of your ‘to bring’ list when attending a meeting, however take note that it is not usually being exchanged in a formal manner. You may give your business card to your counterpart, but you shouldn’t always expect to receive a card in return. Americans would only give their business cards to people they expect to meet for the second time, otherwise, cards wouldn’t be exchanged. Gifts aren’t also being exchanged with counterparts during meetings, even if you’ll all be meeting for the first time. You are only expected to bring gifts to colleagues or coworkers if it’s the holiday season.

What to expect
Your counterpart would appreciate it if you arrive a few minutes early for a meeting. You should always expect punctuality among your counterparts. During a meeting, Americans can be friendly and may even throw some jokes to lighten up the mood. However, expect the directness of Americans, because you might dive in right away to business when meetings start. You should also expect some sort of disagreement when you are presenting a point. Americans speak their minds and would expect that you’re prepared for it. Be open to differences in opinions and don’t get offended when receiving a transparent remark that may come out opposing your views. In general, Americans can be warm as a counterpart, and they also welcome arguments, however, your should expect a certain level of forthrightness from them.

What you should know
The American business culture is less hierarchical than expected, in fact people in lower positions may be able to talk to those who hold executive positions. Although the top management is where the final decisions are being sourced from, they are also welcome to hear the voice and suggestion from the team and from the people who are considered low-ranking in the office.

Women comprised 50.4% of the labor force in the USA. This happened for the first time in a decade that females outgrew the number of males who are working. There is no issue with working females in the country, in fact the gender gap in the corporate setting is barely seen. Women are able to take high positions as with the men and they are also compensated fairly. So if you’re a female, you will definitely have the ease of working in the USA.

One of the things you may have to take note when working in the USA are the corporate leaves being observed, although the average number of leaves are indicated below, note that it may also depend on the company you will be working in. Check out the tabulated list below.